What If?
by loulouflowerpower
Summary: What might have happened if the Ninth, Eleventh, or Twelfth Doctor had found the human Hatter instead of Ten? This is a brief glimpse into just that in three separate, standalone parts, featuring all three Doctors and the Ninth Hatter. Requested by a Guest review.
1. Chapter 1 Ninth Doctor

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just my OC Time Lady, the Hatter.**_

…

 _ **The Ninth Doctor**_

The Doctor really didn't like hospitals, not human ones, anyway. He had a bad experience in one only a few centuries ago and wound up almost dying, his memory temporarily affected after an American surgeon had tried to save his life and very nearly destroyed the regeneration process. He couldn't exactly blame Grace for the mistake, of course, why would a human doctor think for a second that he might have two hearts? Still, ever since that experience he hadn't been overly fond of Earth hospitals, personally he felt that it was the smell. The stench of chemicals and disinfectant that hung heavily in the air burned his sensitive Gallifreyan nose and made him feel like he was going to sneeze, but he pushed on, trying hard to ignore the unpleasant sensation as he prowled the hospital hallways.

It hadn't been his intention to find himself in a hospital, in fact he had been planning a quick trip somewhere else, somewhere far away from the tiny blue and green planet that he always seemed to be saving these days, wanting to see a new horizon and breath different air, to try and distract himself from the memories that always seemed to flood his brain whenever he was on Earth, so he had been rather surprised and disappointed when he had thrown open the TARDIS doors to find himself standing in some sort of supply cupboard, one quick peek outside the cupboards doors enough to tell him that he had landed in an Earth hospital in the year 2008.

Annoyed, he had tried to leave, but his time machine had completely refused, making such a fuss that he had been forced to concede defeat and try and see just why his TARDIS had decided to take him to a place like this, hence why he found himself roaming around the corridors, scanning with his sonic screwdriver as he went, waiting to find any hint or clue of alien activity going on, but so far he hadn't found a thing. The place seemed ordinary, painfully, boringly so.

And then…he turned a corner and the sonic screwdriver's buzzing grew to a point that he was almost certain one of the nurses or doctors were going to come rushing out. He quickly flicked the device off and checked the reading, frowning slightly when they came back normal, completely normal.

"What's going on with you?" he muttered, lightly hitting the device against his hand, "Hey? What is it?" he tried scanning again, but the same thing happened, leaving him only more confused, "What are you trying to tell me?"

He narrowed his eyes and looked up, his eyes falling immediately on the hospital door ahead of him, the same removable nametag on the front of it reading 'Jane Doe'. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that his sonic screwdriver would have such a strange reaction…or none reaction to that one door when he had passed by several others. Still, the fact that the sonic screwdriver and his TARDIS were reacting so strangely did make him pause, eyeing the door carefully. None of it made any sense and when that happened, he made it his mission to make sense of things.

He winced slightly as that thought crossed his mind, it sounded….well, it sounded like something _she_ might have said…in fact, she might have said those very words to him before and he was just repeating them now. But he couldn't think about _her_ , not now, not ever, because she was gone and he still lived and he had made a promise to her, he would never break that promise to her, he couldn't. It was all that he had left of her, that and his love, but he had never been brave enough to tell her the truth and now, he never would.

"Get a grip on yourself," the Doctor growled beneath his breath, roughly pulling at his leather jacket, glaring at the door ahead of him. He was a Time Lord, the very last of his kind and he would _not_ get swept up in all of those thoughts right now, he would leave that up to the humans. With his new resolve firmly in place, he marched forward and grabbed the doorhandle, carefully pushing the door open and peering into the room.

The room was filled with bright morning sunlight, the curtains having been left open on the opposite side of the room, while the hospital bed was against the left wall, facing the right wall across from it. A woman was lying in it, breathing tubes and wires sticking out of her, hooked into machinery that surrounded the bed, the noise of her heart beating sounded throughout the room in short intervals. The woman herself was young, her face pale and her eyes closed, while her long red hair had been pushed off her face and onto the white pillow beneath her head, dressed in a blue hospital gown.

He stepped further into the room, eyeing the young woman curiously, feeling a funny sense of familiarity towards her and yet…he didn't. It was so difficult to try and explain, it was like he should know her, but couldn't possibly all at the same time. He had never seen her before; he knew that for a fact, but still the nagging sensation continued in the back of his mind, vague and a little distorted, but still present.

"Who are you?" he said aloud, moving to stand at the end of the bed, staring at her face, "Why was I brought here? For _you_?" he frowned, shaking his head slowly, "What makes you so special?"

"Excuse me, sir?" the Doctor gave a small start and turned quickly towards the door, finding a young dark haired nurse standing in the doorway with a small frown on her face, "Who are you?" she questioned, her tone sharp and full of suspicion, "I'm sorry, but you can't be in here…"

The Doctor fixed a friendly smile onto his face and reached into his pocket, whipping out his psychic paper and flashing it at the woman, "I'm Detective Inspector John Smith," he said quickly, lowering the psychic paper as the woman's eyes widened, "I'm…here to conduct an investigation in regards to Miss Doe here".

"Oh, yes, of course," the woman nodded quickly, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks, "I'm so sorry, I hadn't realised any more police would be coming…"

"You were just doing your job," he cut across her, maintaining his friendly, professional persona as he turned his attention back onto the woman in the bed, "What can you tell me about Miss Doe's condition, Miss…?" he glanced back to her.

"Stone," she replied, "Elizabeth," the Doctor nodded to her, keeping his smile in place, though his cheeks were starting to protest from the effort, "Well, Miss Doe is in a coma, sir," she continued, looking sadly back across to the bed, "She was brought in about a month ago now, found by a woman walking her dog on the side of a road, unconscious. We've been caring for her ever since," she frowned slightly, looking back to him, "I'm sorry, but shouldn't you know all of this already?"

"Formalities," he shrugged, eyeing the mysterious woman, "She didn't have any identification? No purse? Personal effects?"

"The police took everything," she told him, giving him a strange look.

"And her condition hasn't improved since she was found?"

"No, not at all".

The Doctor nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the woman before him. That nagging sensation was growing worse now, though he still couldn't understand why. He would have to find a way to get a look at those personal effects that the real police had taken with them; perhaps they would have something of use in them that he could use to work out why he felt like he should know this woman.

"I'm sorry, sir," Elizabeth began, looking at him curiously, "But has new evidence come to light, or something?" she looked at him hopefully, making him glance back to her, "It's just…she's been here for a month and no one has come forward to claim her. It's as if she just…dropped out of the sky," she smiled sadly.

Perhaps she had, but he was certainly going to find out for certain, "I'm not at liberty to say at this point," he said instead, giving her a polite smile and holding out his hand, "Thank you for your time, Elizabeth Stone, you have been very helpful".

She took his hand and gave it a quick shake, "If you need any more help with your investigation, we would be more than happy to help," she assured him, releasing his hand.

He gave her one last nod and smile, before casting the woman in the bed a quick look as he turned to leave the room. He would figure this out; he never could resist a mystery.

….

Getting into Scotland Yard's evidence room was easy for the Doctor, he just simply had to smile and flash people his psychic paper and he found that he could get himself into almost any building. He had found over the centuries that a smile and an air of confidence could work wonders, hardly anyone ever questioned you…well, usually, he had spent quite a bit of time in jail cells, so it wasn't completely foolproof. The desk sergeant, for one, had been quite suspicious of him at first when he had been showing him into the evidence room, but the Doctor had simply kept on smiling and told him that he was a recent transfer from Manchester, his Northern accent of this regeneration apparently helping to sell the lie, since the sergeant had stopped looking quite so suspicious after that.

The evidence room was rather small, filled with a number of very tall shelves that ran in rows to the very back of the room, while a large table had been positioned in one corner. The Doctor waited by the table, hands in his pockets and leaning back against the table while the sergeant had gone off to find the box belonging to the mysterious Jane Doe, before returning a short time later with a brown, cardboard box held in his hands with meaningless numbers written across the side of it.

"This is all we've got, sir," the sergeant told him, sitting the box down on the table as the Doctor straightened, fixing his attention onto the box.

"Thank you," he nodded absently to him, waiting for the man to turn and disappear back to the front desk before reaching to take the lid off the box, sitting it aside on the table and reaching into the box.

The first thing that he was pulled out was a pair of heavy, black leather combat style boots that had been placed into a clear plastic bag. He lifted the bag closer to his eyes, eyeing the boots critically, but the only thing that he came up with was that they were very clean and they didn't even have any scuff marks, and rather small for a tall woman like Jane Doe, only a UK size four. He moved the bag off to the side of the table, reaching into the box to pullout the next bag, which held what seemed to be a pair of brown, leather trousers. Now these looked a bit more worn, the knees specifically looked quite marked by white dust and scratched, as if someone had fallen or been kneeling on something sharp. The next bag contained a dark, blood red tunic style shirt with long sleeves that billowed out before becoming tight at the cuffs.

"What's that…?" the Doctor frowned curiously, and pulled the bag open to pull the fabric out of the bag. It was very soft, feeling almost like silk but it wasn't, it was a form of cotton, not an Earth cotton, however. He pushed the box out of the way to lay the shirt out on the table, his eyes resting on the fist sized perfect, blackened burnt circle that was on the back of the shirt, directly in the middle of it. It was so perfectly rounded that it couldn't have been anything but done on purpose. He gently ran his fingertips lightly over the burnt fabric, narrowing his eyes. That could have only have been made from an energy weapon, it was simply to perfect, and he knew exactly which one: a Dalek. But…that was impossible, all of the Daleks were gone, they burnt, he made sure of that and no one could have survived something like this, so how could Jane Doe be found wearing a shirt with a burn like that in it and still be alive, be it in a coma? "Who are you?" he muttered, shaking his head.

He reached into the box and pulled out the next plastic evidence bag, and quickly placed it amongst the rest of the bags with only a brief glance. Inside the bag was a corset, dark red, like the tunic with a golden zipper running directly up the front of it instead of complicated lasses or fastenings, and with the same dark burn mark in the back of it, indicating that the laser had gone straight through, though their hadn't been any question about that. There was another bag at the bottom, this time containing something that made the breath rush out of him and his knees suddenly weaken.

A pin, golden with ruby red inlay over the circular, abstract Prydonian symbol.

How many times had he worn that very same symbol in his youth? Every child who belonged to the Pyrdonian Chapter wore it from the moment that they were accepted into the Pyrdonian Academy, usually until they died, but this pin was not just a symbol of what chapter the Time Lord belonged to, no, it was far to elaborate for it to belong to just any old fellow Pyrdonian, this was the pin that only the most senor amongst the High Council had worn. By the end of the Time War, almost everyone had taken to wearing the Pyrdonian colours of orange and red, even those who belonged to the other Chapters had taken to it as a mark of respect for Rassilon after he had taken control of Gallifrey, but this pin…only a Prydonian in the very inner circle of the High Council could have worn this. That narrowed down the list greatly; after all, by the end of the Time War there was only three women who could have worn this pin and one of them…

He closed his eyes tightly, clutching the bag with the pin inside it so tightly that he could feel it pressing painfully into his skin, but he didn't care. His hearts were racing so much that it made him feel faint, memories of the last time he had seen her rushing through his mind.

"… _if you stay here, you_ _will_ _die_ …"

"… _perhaps that would be for the best, I am so very tired after this endlessly fighting and constant grief…I can't bare it any longer, my sweet, brave, Doctor. The Universe would be better off without me_ …"

" _Not my Universe, not for a second_!"

 _She had smiled at him then, so gently and sadly that it had broken his already shattering hearts as she reached up to cup his face with both of her hands, her skin warm and soothing against his cheeks, "You are so strong, you can do this, I believe in you…" she had told him, brown eyes staring into his, "But you must promise something…promise me that you won't be alone, that you'll find someone to help you when you escape this because you never have been very good at being alone and I fear that when this is over, you will be even worse…promise me, Doctor. Promise me!"_

He had promised her, even though he had never wanted to promise anything less in his life because making that promise had meant that she wouldn't be there, beside him, like it had always been. Leaving her that night to start preparing his plan had felt like the hardest thing he had ever had to do, leaving her when he knew that he would be essentially murdering her had killed him, it had been agonising for him to do it, but he had promised and he didn't have a choice. The Time Lords had to be stopped, they couldn't be allowed to go through with their plan, and so he had been forced to make the hardest choice of his life: save the Universe but at the cost of his people and the woman he loved more than anything else. He went through with the plan, just as he knew that the Hatter would have wanted him to, but it still killed him to have to do it and after a hundred years, he didn't think he would ever recover from it, from her death.

"How is this even possible?" he breathed, looking over the evidence bags that littered the table top and the shirt, which he now remembered vividly as the one that she had worn so often during the Time War, "How could you have…survived?" he shook his head, still feeling quite weak after everything he had discovered, his whole Universe tipping upside down within a matter of seconds.

The Hatter had died, or at least she had been declared as being dead. Mere hours after he had left her room in her childhood home there was an attack very close to it. The floor that the Hatter's room had been on had been badly damaged and there had been evidence to suggest that she had been hit, but there hadn't been any sign of her regeneration signature and the rest of the house had been so badly damaged that it was impossible to completely determine what had happened, the High Council had declared her missing and dead, but by that point, the Time War had reached such a fever pitch that to try and investigate more carefully was impossible and he had been so busy trying to get his plan ready before anyone discovered it. He hadn't even had a chance to try and investigate himself.

And yet, here he was, almost a full one hundred years on and standing before a table full of evidence to suggest that she very well might have survived and escaped. He hadn't allowed himself to feel hopeful about anything in so long, but this…this he hoped with every single fibre of his being was true. There was just too much evidence to suggest anything else, no other Time Lady on the High Council would have worn trousers, nor that style of tunic and the boots, now that he looked at them more closely, did appear to come from Earth. It had to be her; there was no other explanation for it. The Hatter, his brilliant best friend had managed to escape, to live. He couldn't even bring himself to feel upset that she had escaped Gallifrey even after he had begged her to come with him. All that mattered was that she was alive.

There was still one more bag inside the bottom of the box and as the Doctor struggled to get a grip over himself, to try and stop himself from running for the TARDIS and heading to the hospital, he reached into the box and pulled out a small bag that held a silver fob watch inside it, the Gallifreyan writing engraved across the surface. It was a little scratched in places, but he could still make out the name sprawled across it: Dame Hatter of the House of Blyledge.

…

The Doctor returned to the hospital in a complete blur, later he would wonder how he even managed to fly the TARDIS without crashing it badly in the state he had been in, his mind fixed completely on the small fob watch that he clutched in his hand and everything that it meant. The Hatter was alive! He could have cried from pure joy at the discovery, he could have laughed and cheered at the top of his lungs for the whole Universe to hear and it still wouldn't be enough to express how elated he was. The one woman that he had loved for all his life, the one woman who knew him best and his most trusted friend and adviser, was alive. He didn't care that it ought to be impossible, it was the Hatter, he never should have doubted that she couldn't have come up with a way to survive. He didn't know what happened to change her mind and make her want to live, but none of that mattered right now because she was alive and he was never going to let anything happen to her again.

He parked the TARDIS in the corner of Jane Doe's room and threw the doors open, practically flying across to collapse onto his knees by the edge of the bed, his hearts hammering inside his chest as he slowly reached out to touch his finger against her warm cheek. It wasn't the Hatter, but it would be very soon, she just had to open the watch first, and he had a plan for that.

He worked quickly and carefully to begin disconnecting her from the machinery around her, not wishing any of the alarms to start going off. None of it was of vital importance to keeping her alive and the few that were, such as the feeding tube, he affectively removed with a bit of medical equipment from the TARDIS without causing her any internal or external harm, in fact it would be as if it had never been there at all. Once he had her fully disconnected, feeling quite smug with himself that he had managed to do it without setting off anything, he carefully lifted her limp body into his arms, trying hard to support her head on his shoulder with one arm under her knees and back. For such a tall, lanky woman, she proved to be quite light.

The Doctor carried her into the TARDIS, using his foot to close the door behind him as he moved up the ramp to the controls, pausing to gently place her into one of the jump seats, not liking the idea of having her lying on the ground, even if she wasn't exactly aware of what was going on. He smiled faintly as he gently tucked a strand of dark red, wavy hair behind her ear. Another ginger Hatter, she had already been a red head twice, one after the other, in fact. He had been so jealous, though secretly, he had quite liked it.

He quickly began to move around the controls, being far more careful to fly the time machine with more care then he ever usually would take, before bringing the TARDIS to a stop in the Time Vortex. He pulled the hand brake down and moved to lift Jane Doe back into his arms and headed off down the corridor, finding the infirmary on the very first door on the left.

"Thanks, old girl," he muttered absently, knowing that it had been the TARDIS that had moved it, but it wasn't surprising. The TARDIS always did have a certain fondness for Time Lady's, the Hatter always had been able to get away with more than him without the TARDIS getting huffy with her like it would with him.

The Doctor gently placed the woman in his arms down on the bed in the middle of the room, but there was still a small issue. She was still in a coma, one that he had already determined wasn't drug induced, so attempting to wake her with medication or even just waiting for the medication already in her system to wear off wasn't an option.

"Right, then," he said thoughtfully, already suspecting the cause behind the coma. If the Hatter had been injured during the attack to her childhood home and it had been bad enough to need her to regenerate, then by her using the Chameleon Circuit so soon after regenerating, just as her body and mind was getting to grips with the change, then it could have easily have lead to such a side effect as sending her into a coma. She must have truly have been desperate to risk something like that, she would have been well aware of the risks of coma or memory loss.

He reached out and touch his index and middle finger against her temples, letting his eyes slip shut as he concentrated, trying to reach into her mind to find her human consciousness trapped within limbo of her subconscious. He had to be very careful, if he made one wrong move then he could accidently cause her consciousness to be completely trapped within her mind forever, but he knew what he was doing and this was for the Hatter. He sensed it then, the tiny spark of her human self, and gently reached out with his own mind to draw it further out until…

Jane Doe's eyes flew open with a loud gasp and the Doctor jumped back, grimacing slightly as the connection between their minds snapped like an elastic band , reaching up to rub his forehead. He hadn't expected it to work so quickly, but then again, human minds were so very easy to manipulate.

"What…" the woman sat up quickly, looking around with wide, panicked eyes, "Where am I? I don't…" she broke off with a pained groan, grabbing at her head, "My head…it hurts…"

"It's okay," the Doctor tried to reassure her, reaching out to touch her arm, but she flinched back from the contact and her head snapped up, fixing bright green eyes on him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice raising louder and growing more frantic with every second, "Where am I? Tell me, right now!"

He inwardly sighed in exasperation, wondering why it was that humans always seem to be trying to accuse him and blame him for things, though, he supposed that in this case she probably had good reason to be accusing him, "Just calm down," he told her warily, "You're safe, I swear. I'm the Doctor…"

"That's not a name," she cut across him at once, green eyes narrowed suspiciously, "And you expect me to just believe you?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he shot back.

She blinked, looking quite surprised with that response for a moment, "Because….because I don't even _know_ you," she replied haughtily, trying hard to recover.

"I'm the Doctor and I'm trying to help you. There, you know me, now calm down and _let me help_ ".

"Help me?" she scoffed, shaking her head at him, "By kidnapping me?"

The Doctor sighed loudly, closing his eyes briefly in annoyance, just wishing he could shove the fob watch into her hand and make her open it, at least then he wouldn't have to try and explain himself, "I didn't kidnap you," he said, though he inwardly did have to admit that he kind of _did_ just do that, "I told you, I'm trying to help you. You…were sick, I made you better".

She gave him a dark look, "I'm a doctor, don't speak to me like I'm an idiot…" she huffed, frowning briefly as she glanced down at herself, finally seeming to be taking in the fact that she was actually wearing a hospital gown. She lightly touched the fabric, looking slightly confused, "But…that's not…I don't understand," she looked back up to him, giving him an accusing look, "Why am I wearing this?"

"You had an accident…"

"No," she said firmly, starting to look a little worried now, "I was…I was…" she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening as she looked away from him, "I don't remember. Why don't I remember?"

He eyed her for a moment as she looked back to him, looking almost close to tears now, something that puzzled him. She went from being angry and suspicious of him, to suddenly confused and almost fearful. Her emotions were all over the place, but then again, humans were always so quick to jump to conclusions.

"That's not important…" he began, wanting to just move on quickly.

She gave him a startled look, "Not important?" she breathed, staring at him as if he had gone mad, "I can't remember how I ended up in this bloody hospital gown or that I apparently had an accident!" she paled suddenly, "Oh…please tell me I didn't sustain brain damage?" she asked shakily, looking quite fearful now, "If I hit my head, that would explain why I can't remember…but is there in permanent damage? Have you done a CT scan? What about consulted with a neurological specialist? If…"

"There's no damage," the Doctor interrupted loudly. She was a doctor, of course she was, why couldn't she have been a florist? Maybe she would be less likely to be throwing question after question at him if she had been a florist. He took a deep breath, reaching into his pocket to pull out the fob watch, "Do you recognise this?"

She gave him a funny look, still seeming to be quite mistrustful, "Is this a test?"

"Yes. Well, do you?"

"Yes, of course. It's mine…" she narrowed her eyes, "Is this some elaborate attempt to rob me or something? If so, go ahead. Take it. The thing doesn't even work".

"I'm not trying to rob you!" he exclaimed, his patents wearing thin right now, and if it wasn't for the fact that this woman would bring the Hatter back to him, he probably would be questioning if it was even worth doing all of this right now. But for the Hatter…he would do anything, including dealing with this rather annoying human who couldn't understand that he wasn't going to hurt her, "Look, just…" he forced himself to take another deep, calming breath, holding the watch out towards her, "Open it".

"And why would I do that…?"

"Because…it will change your life".

The woman eyed him for a moment before bursting out laughing, "Seriously?" she giggled, shaking her head at him, "Opening a broken old watch is going to change my life? What, am I going to find a winning lottery ticket folded up in there?"

"You want to make sense of how you ended up here? Open the watch, it will explain _everything_ ".

She continued giggling, though she rolled her eyes as she plucked the watch out of his open palm, "This is the strangest conversation I've ever had," she muttered, looking down at the watch, turning it over in her hand, "You want me to just open the watch? Nothing else?" she looked back up to him.

"Just open it," he nodded, feeling his hearts hammering.

"And if I do open it…you'll let me go?"

He closed his eyes briefly, reminding himself of who he was doing this for, "Yes!"

She broke into a small smile, looking almost smug, as if she had managed to somehow win and looked back to the watch, using her thumbnail to unlatch the watch. Instantly, a burst of bright yellow and gold energy burst out of the watch, making the Doctor stumble backwards from the bed with his hand shielding his eyes as the energy surrounded the woman…when the energy suddenly faded, leaving her gasping for breath.

"I am never doing that again," she said through gaps.

The Doctor lowered his arm, staring at her with wide eyes, instantly feeling that tiny spark of life return to the back of his mind after a century of silence. It was almost overwhelming to feel that sensation of having someone else there, but he relished in the sensation. He wasn't alone anymore, he had the Hatter back.

"Hatter?" he asked softly, taking a step back towards the bed.

Instantly, she looked towards him and broke into a wide smile, full of delight and joy, "Doctor!" she cried, practically leaping off the bed to throw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly that the air was knocked from his lungs, but he could care less as he grinned, his eyes prickling with unshed tears.

The Hatter was back and now, his Universe made a bit more sense again.

…

The Doctor looked up at the sound the Hatter cheerfully humming a song to herself, practically skipping into the console room with her absurdly long purple and black scarf partly dragging along the floor as she went. He was rather surprised to see her, not to mention without Rose in toe behind her.

"Good evening, Doctor," the Time Lady greeted him, skipping around the console to join him as he lent back against one of the console panels, fiddling with a small piece of machinery in his hands.

He eyed her with a soft expression, "You seem very happy," he remarked, raising his eyebrows, "Is that the song from the Lion King that you're humming?"

"Yep," she nodded, flashing him a broad smile that made his hearts instantly skip a beat, "Good song, good movie. You should watch it with me".

"I wouldn't want to intrude on 'girl's night'".

She rolled her eyes good naturally, "Oh, please," she scoffed lightly, "You know you're always welcome to join Rose and I, though, I suppose you would consider it to be to 'domestic,'" she gave him a teasing look and lightly nudged his arm.

He tried to give her a glare, but it failed miserably, "You know I hate musicals".

"You didn't _always_ , Doctor".

"New body, new me".

"Ah, so very true," the Hatter sighed slightly, picking up a lock of her wavy, bright red hair and eyeing it for a moment, before she shrugged and flashed him another wide smile, "Oh, come on! Watch one with me".

"And what about Rose?"

"I sent her to bed, so it's just us," she informed him with another small shrug, "She was so tired after today's adventures in Victorian Cardiff, all her yawning was making _me_ tired," she reached out and touched his arm, making him instantly still at the feeling of her warm hand, "Come on, Doctor, just one musical. After the day we had, almost dying and everything, surely we ought to do something light and fun to cheer ourselves up".

The Doctor looked back up to her face, her bright green eyes dancing as she gave him her little hopeful smile. He could feel his hearts pounding inside his chest, unable to drag his eyes off hers as she continued to look at him. The Hatter, _his_ Hatter, it seemed like a lifetime ago to him now that he had thought that she was gone, but since she had returned to his life, everything seemed just a little bit easier. He still grieved for his people, still blamed himself and was riddled by the guilt of his actions, nothing, not even the Hatter being by his side, could change that, but she did help to soften it, just a little bit. He didn't have to constantly think about it when she was with him, the Hatter was always so bright and happy, something he suspected was likely just an act on her part to try and make him feel better, but it still helped, act or not. For a while, when he was with her, being teased and getting to see her smile and laugh after so long of not seeing it, he could allow himself to put aside all the horror and guilt that he felt ranging inside of him. For a while, with her, he felt like he used to before the Time War happened.

He didn't remember how it happened; he was just so caught up in all the emotions swirling inside him that he didn't even realise that he was leaning in towards her before his lips pressed against hers. She was stunned at first, seemingly frozen in place for half a second before she began kissing him back, her hand moving up to cup his face as he pulled her closer to him, his mind still struggling to comprehend that this was actually happening, he was kissing the Hatter and, better still, she was kissing him back with the same fever as him, when…the piece of machinery he had been working on slipped out of his hand as he moved to circle his arm around her waist, shattering the moment with a loud, metallic clang that echoed throughout the room and made them both jump apart, staring back at each other.

The Hatter's cheeks were bright red and seem to be growing darker the longer he stared at her, both breathing quite deeply, neither one making a single move towards one another. He watched, slightly dazed and a little light headed as she blinked slowly, her hand going up to lightly touch her slightly swollen lips.

"What…" she began, her voice sounding very high before she cleared her throat, struggling to regain her composer, "What was that?"

The Doctor shifted slightly, panic starting to slowly creep in now. What had he done? Sure, he and the Hatter had kissed in the past, she had been the first girl he had ever kissed back when they were still in school, and they did once share a small little peek beneath a piece of mistletoe, back in the days of UNIT, but nothing quite like the kiss they had just shared, nothing quite so…passionate.

"We…kissed…" he said slowly, hesitating.

She gave him a small, slightly bemused smile, "Yeah, I kind of got that part," she said quietly, eyeing him, "But _why_?" she shook her head, frowning slightly, "We're best friends…we don't just go about, snogging one another…not like _that_ , anyway…" she trailed off, her cheeks darkening even more.

The Doctor gave her a long look, knowing that if there was ever a moment to tell her, it was right now, "Isn't it obvious?" he sighed, deciding that he couldn't go on like this anymore, keeping his feelings for her hidden and bottled up, and if it meant that he lost her…well, he would have to find a way to fix it.

The Hatter gave a small laugh, shaking her head, "No, no it isn't," she told him, looking a little frustrated as she took her hat off, running her hands roughly through her hair, "Nothing about this is obvious, Doctor! You just randomly kissed me and then expect me to know why you did that?"

He couldn't help staring at her in disbelief, this was the smartest woman he had ever known, a woman who could easily outmatch him even on his good day, the brightest girl of their entire year and someone who he had always thought had a natural understanding about other people's hearts, and yet she genuinely didn't understand why he would have kissed her.

"Hatter, I…" he swallowed hard, forcing himself to meet her eyes, "I love you".

She barely reacted, just simply looked at him before she suddenly burst out laughing, making him blink, "Oh, Doctor," she giggled, patting his arm, "You really had me going for a second there. Well done, few people have ever actually managed to almost trick me like that. Very clever".

"I'm not tricking you!" he exclaimed, unable to believe that he actually had to explain himself, "Hatter, I love you!" he grabbed her shoulders, making her look back up to him, still with a small, amused smile on her face. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I've _always_ loved you".

The Hatter stiffened in his hold and he slowly pulled back, looking into her face as she stared back at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of doubt and fear, "You're…you're actually being serious right now," she breathed after a moment, seeming quite stunned.

"I wouldn't say it unless I meant it, with all my hearts".

"I believe you," she nodded slowly, not looking away from him, "You've never been the type of person to say something that important without completely meaning it".

"Hatter," he let go of her shoulders and forced himself to take a step back from her, not wishing to make her feel like he was crowding her when she already seemed to be quite overwhelmed, "I don't want to presser you, I'll understand if…"

"Did you know that I used to have a crush on you?"

He closed his mouth quickly, surprised, "You did?" he asked slowly, feeling his hearts start to lighten.

The Time Lady nodded slowly, "It was a silly, school girl crush and I eventually thought I had gotten over it," she explained, "You went on and married, so did I. We both had separate families and then you left Gallifrey. I forgot about it, put it aside as just feelings of a teenage girl, but…if I was honest with myself, the feelings never really went away…" the Doctor inhaled sharply, "While I grew older, so did the feelings, though I refused to ever allow myself to admit them…even to myself, until now…"

The Doctor felt like he could barely breath, looking back at him with centuries of hope and longing, "Hatter, are you saying…"

She smiled at him then and took a step forwards him, reaching up to cup his face with both of her hands, "Doctor…." she whispered, "I love you, too".

He couldn't help laughing, the urge was simply too much as he threw his arms around her as she laughed, lifting her up off the floor in his excitement and delight. Centuries he had dreamed of this moment and not one of those dreams had come close to being like this, but he would take this moment over any of those imagined ones. The Hatter loved him and he loved her, and he was never going to let anyone ever forget that. Not for one single second.

 _ **So this story was requested by a Guest review and is about a little glimpse into what might have happened had another version of the Doctor found the Hatter. The next chapter will be set during the Eleventh Doctor's time and then, the final chapter will be with Twelve. I have started working on the next chapter, but I've also been doing some writing for my Sherlock story, so I'm not completely sure when I'll have the next chapter for this story ready.**_

 _ **I really wanted to try and find a way to explain why during the 50**_ _ **th**_ _ **special all of the Time Lords seem to be wearing red and gold, so I came up with the whole thing of it being a sign of respect to Rassilon. It's always annoyed me that all of the Time Lords seemed to be wearing the same colours when we know that the colours were symbolic of their own Chapter, so I just had to find a way to explain it. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	2. Chapter 2 Eleventh Doctor

_**The Eleventh Doctor**_

"So this is where you disappeared to," the Hatter remarked as she leaned against the side of the hall wall, the sound of music coming from within the building from Amy and Rory's wedding reception, drifting through the air as she smiled faintly, looking at the Doctor as he sat on a small stone bench, looking rather out of place within the small garden in his tuxedo tails and top hat, which he was toying with in his lap. He looked up at the sound of her voice, a small smile of his own spreading over his youthful face, "I started to get a little worried when I looked up and couldn't see you dancing," she continued, "I know how much you love dancing".

"I thought I'd take a breather," the Doctor replied with a small shrug.

She eyed him knowingly and pushed off from the wall, walking towards him, trying hard to ignore the way that her heels dug into the gravel and made it rather hard to walk properly without fearing that she might accidently twist her ankle. Oh yes, these shoes were so going to end up in a black hole by the end of this evening, she was very much looking forward to throwing them in, though at least the dark purple dress she was wearing wasn't too much of a pain, since it came to her knees, out of the way of tripping. She took a seat on the bench beside him, her side pressed against his on the small bench.

"Well, I suppose you are getting on, these days," she said teasingly, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "It's to be expected that one would struggle to dance all night like you used to".

"I'm not that old!" he exclaimed, giving her a startled look, "I can still dance and…you know…" he flapped his hands around, searching for the right word, "…get down with it," the Hatter burst out laughing, only making him splutter and blush even more, "Oh, shut up, you," he muttered, playfully nudging her knee with his leg.

"'Get down with it?'" she giggled, shaking her head in disbelief, "Did you honestly just say that?"

He sighed and looked steadily away from her, but he couldn't help smiling very slightly, "You're just mean".

"And you sound and dress like a grandfather who is desperately trying to seem cool to his grandkids, but failing miserably".

"I _am_ cool!" he spluttered, trying hard to look offended as he straightened his bowtie proudly.

The Hatter watched the movement with amusement, "For what age group?" she asked innocently.

"So says the woman who gets around in a three foot scarf!"

"You used to wear a vegetable on your lapel!"

"For medicinal purposes! Explain to me the medicinal purpose of getting around with a tiara!"

"I was living on Gallifrey, it was ceremonial!"

For a brief moment they stared at each other, smiling widely and on the verge of laughing as they struggled to act as if they were annoyed, when the Hatter simply couldn't hold her laughter in any longer and started giggling. Instantly, the Doctor joined in, laughing as he threw his arm around her shoulders.

"I missed this," he said quietly, once his laughter as died down. The Hatter stopped giggling and cleared her throat, looking back to him with a gentle expression, "Just…the two of us, laughing and teasing each other".

"I'm sorry," the Hatter sighed, reaching out to place her hand over his knee, not noticing how he tensed slightly at the sudden gesture before forcing himself to relax, his hearts racing in his chest, "I know it will never be enough to apologise for what I did to you, but I need you to know that if I could change my actions on that night and leave with you when you asked me to, then I would, in a heartbeat".

He frowned at her, a lump forming in his throat, "Don't," he said firmly, shaking his head, "There's so many things I wish I could change, Hatter, but it happened and we're here. I don't need you to apologise because I already know".

She looked at him for a long moment before she sighed again, lowering her head, "Even still, Doctor," she said softly, taking a deep breath as she forced herself to look back up, meeting his gentle green eyes with her own bright green ones, "I am so sorry for all the pain and hurt that you went through over the last century, and I will never betray our friendship like that again".

"It was hardly a betrayal…"

"But it was!" she insisted at once, quite forcefully, even, "You are my best friend and I refused to be there when you needed me most, I will never forgive myself for that, regardless of what you say on the matter".

"Hatter," the Doctor cut in calmly, "We can't change what happened, but it's in the past. Please, can we just…leave it there," he sighed heavily, frowning as he looked away from her again, "I've spent so long with the Time War hanging over my head, now I just want to…forget".

She watched him closely, knowing that for him the Time War had happened over a century ago and that he had been through so much since then, so much that she was still just learning about even after having opened her fob watch several months ago, but it was harder for her to try and forget. It was still so fresh for her, but if the Doctor could find a way to put all of that behind him after all that he had witnessed and had been forced to do, then surely she could find a way, too. So, she swallowed hard and nodded in acceptance, patting his knee briefly before she let go of his leg to clasp her hands together in her lap, turning her eyes up towards the stars twinkling away in the cloudless night sky above their heads.

"What was it like, to be wiped from existence?" she asked after a long moment of silence stretched on between them, only broken by the noise of the music still going on within the wedding reception.

The Doctor took a moment to try and find a way to respond, looking at the side of her face, allowing himself the chance to just look at her when he knew she couldn't see him, "Lonely," he said eventually, making the Hatter turn back to him. He looked up towards the sky, but he wasn't really admiring the stars, "And…it was sad. It was a bit like looking back through an old photo album".

"How far back did you go?"

"Oh, you know me," he tried hard to give her a smile, but he knew it wouldn't fool her, "I hate repeats," she gave him a sad little smile at that, seeming to know already without needing to ask just what it was that he was referring to. Perhaps she did know, she had mentioned during their first adventure together with the Weeping Angels and River Song that she had seen something within the forest that had given her something to think about, he just hadn't realised that it was him that she was referring to when he had spoken to Amy. He cleared his throat, trying hard to lighten the mood a little bit as he lightly nudged her knee again, "So, what was it like being in a Universe without me?"

"Oh, you know…" she slowly began to smile, her eyes twinkling in that way that told him that she was about to tease him. That look instantly made his hearts beat faster and an excited fluttering sensation to fill his stomach, even after all these centuries, "Peaceful…" she shrugged lightly, "Quiet, calm…"

"Hey!"

"But completely dull and boring," she finished quickly, flashing him a large smile and giving him a little wink.

"Well…" he shifted slightly, reaching up to adjust his bowtie again, "That's a bit better," he glanced back to her and couldn't help smiling, not in the slightest bit offended.

She returned his smile, hers softening, "In all seriousness, Doctor," she went on, "For the very brief half a second that I didn't remember you and everything that had happened with the Pandorica and the Big Bang Two, everything just didn't feel right," she sighed, frowning faintly, "I felt like something was missing, like I had a void inside me that just didn't make sense…and then I remember what happened and everything fitted back into place again. My Universe made a bit more sense again".

He couldn't help staring at her, unable to look away from her bright green eyes, "Yeah," he murmured, swallowing, "I know the feeling…"

It was the same way he had felt about her when he had thought she was gone, only to find her alive, hidden inside that old fob watch while her human self walked around the streets of London, being a doctor and trying to help people. He still couldn't believe that he had found her, just walking through a park at night time in the middle of London. He had been trying to take Amy on her first trip to an alien planet after the business with Churchill and the Daleks, but the TARDIS apparently had other ideas and instead landed them in the middle of the park, and good thing too because that was where he found the Hatter after centuries of believing her gone, just like all the rest of Gallifrey.

"I wasn't the only one who remembered you, of course," she said as she looked up towards the stars, jolting him from his thoughts, "River remembered you. I caught a glimpse of her walking by one of the windows, just before Amy remembered you," her expression grew a bit tighter and she grasped her hands harder in her lap, "I can't say her attitude towards me has warmed, not going by the glare she gave me".

The Doctor frowned deeply, the gravel beneath his dress shoes clinking together as he shifted very slightly on the bench, "Do you ever wonder why she seems to dislike you so much?" he asked, only for her to laugh, much to his surprise.

"Oh, honestly, Doctor," she shook her head, pulling her gaze from off the sky and back to him, giving him a funny little smile that held no humour to it, "I know very well why she dislikes me. You're so oblivious…"

"Me? You think _I'm_ the oblivious one?"

"About these matters, yes. You've always been clueless when it comes to girls liking you when we were at school…"

Inwardly, the Doctor couldn't help laughing at her in disbelief, the only reason for why he had been so oblivious about other girls liking him during their school days due to the fact that he had already fallen for the Hatter. No one else had come close to comparing to her in his eyes, back then or today.

"…I've always had to point out when someone has liked you, so it's hardly surprising that you wouldn't notice, I suppose…"

"Not notice what?" he cut in, barely concealing his amusement and disbelief that she could be so smart and yet, so very blind to what was right in front of her.

The Hatter rolled her eyes at him, "River Song is in _love_ with you, Doctor," she told him, talking as if he was a child. The Doctor closed his mouth with a snap, blinking back at her slowly as she shook her head at him, "It's obvious, really. It also explains her dislike for me; she thinks I'm a threat due to our close friendship and long, shared history. It is a lot of history to try and compete against…not that she exactly _needs_ to try and compete against it, does she?"

"River Song, in love with…me?" he said slowly, ignoring the last part, the thought never having even entered his head before now, not even after his first meeting with River in the Library with Donna Noble, when he still grieved for the Hatter.

"There's no need to look quite so startled by the idea, my dear, Doctor. When River's not glaring at me, she's really quite handsome. She certainly has the best hair I've seen in a long, long time and she's also rather clever and cheeky, so if she would stop glaring at me for five minutes, I do think I'd get along well with her".

"Me…and River?" he almost gaped at her in shock and mild horror at the thought of being with _River Song_ , "She…you do remember that she's been in prison for _murdering_ someone, don't you?"

"Ah, but we don't know all the facts about that yet, do we? Let's not pass judgment until we have all the facts, doing otherwise will make fools of us all".

"Hatter…!" he exclaimed in a strangled voice, making her blink and give him a slightly concerned look, "I…I don't even think about River like that, that's…" he pulled a face and stuck out his tongue, shivering at the thought. River Song was confusing enough as it was, let alone adding the possibility that she might be in love with him and what that might mean for his future.

The Hatter eyed him, her eyebrows raised, "Do you have any idea how childish you sound right now?"

" _So_? River and me…never, _ever_ going to happen! No chance! _Never_."

"Okay," she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly, "I think you've made your point quite clear on the matter…"

"River Song?" he continued, jumping off the bench to start pacing, flapping his hands around as he went, "How could you even think I would like her? She's dangerous, Hatter, she's killed someone, someone who she apparently considered to be the best man she's known…"

"I know, I know," the Hatter rose from the bench and stepped into his path, grabbing his arms and forcing him to still, her heels making her easily another two inches taller than him, "Honestly, Doctor," she rolled her eyes, giving him an exasperated look, "You're acting as if I told you you're going to end up marrying her…" his mouth opened again and she quickly pressed her finger against his lips, silencing him, glaring at him, "Shut up and calm down before I knock you out because you're acting completely idiotic".

He gave her a startled look, waiting until she had lowered her finger from his lips, "You wouldn't".

"Oh, wouldn't I?" she said calmly, and he eyed her carefully, realising that yes, actually, she was being perfectly serious right now and not just making an ideal threat. Suddenly, she broke into a wide smile and released his arms, taking half a step back from him, "So…you're not interested in River, then?"

"Interested in River?" he repeated, frowning slightly, "Well, she is very interesting, I suppose. Confusing and a little annoying…" he trailed off slightly, noticing her still staring at him with an amused expression, "Oh, you mean… _interested_ in a romantic sense…"

"Yeah," she nodded, giving him a smile, "Good thing you figured that out on your own, I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself".

"Oh, shut up".

"Never," she laughed, playfully nudging his arm.

He couldn't help laughing slightly himself, smiling widely at her, "No, Hatter," he said firmly, though he was still smiling faintly, "I'm not interested in River like that, even if she might like me".

"Understood," she gave him a mock salute, making him roll his eyes good naturally at her antics. She turned to sit back down on the stone bench, her shoes annoying her, and the Doctor moved to join her, having to sit tightly beside one another to fit.

"Hatter," the Doctor began, looking slightly troubled as he looked down at his shoes. She hummed in acknowledgment and looked back across to him, "Would you really want me to be with River?"

The Hatter gave him a gentle smile, "If she made you happy, of course I would".

His frowned deepened and he lifted his head, but he still wasn't looking at her, his eyes fixed on the wall of the reception building ahead of him, "But…what about you?"

"Me?" she blinked, looking puzzled. He finally looked at her, his cheeks looking faintly pink in the dim lighting of the little corner of the garden.

"Would you really be happy for me to be with someone like River?"

"Doctor, I don't understand what you mean," she shook her head, looking even more confused, "Are you talking about the fact that she's seemingly killed someone? Like I said, we don't know all the facts yet…"

"That's not…" he sighed, closing his eyes tightly as he looked away from her again, "Never mind. Forget I said anything…"

She grabbed his arm tightly, slightly concerned that he might try to get up and leave, "No," she said sternly, making him look back to her in surprise, "Speak plainly, Doctor, it's obviously important".

He looked at her closely for a moment, very seriously considering his words, trying to figure out the best approach to what he wanted to try and ask her. He didn't know what he was thinking asking such a risky question as if she would really want him to be with River in the first place; why he thought he would be able to ask her something like that without her instantly wanting to know what it was that he was really asking. But the words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and once they had, there was no way that he could take them back.

"Hatter, if I was…with someone, how would that make you feel?"

"That's a very funny question, Doctor," she said slowly, looking at him oddly.

"I'm being completely serious".

"Yes, I can tell," she nodded, watching him closely, looking a little worried. The way he was holding himself, full of tension and the expression on his face told her just how serious he was taking this whole thing, more so then she would have ever imagined. It was a little frightening, she almost felt like she was standing on a tipping point, "Well, I would obviously be thrilled for you," she told him sincerely, "You're my best friend, Doctor, your happiness means the Universe to me".

"Your best friend," he breathed, a sad smile twisting his lips as he nodded.

"Doctor, what has gotten into you? You're not making any sense".

He gave a hollow laugh and ran his hand down his face, tugging at his fringe as he did so, "Hatter, you have no idea, do you?" he said in a slightly strained voice, finally meeting her eyes again, "You haven't got a clue about how I feel about you".

The Hatter closed her mouth and swallowed, hard, not knowing what to say. She didn't understand what was happening, everything suddenly seemed to have become so serious and confusing and she didn't understand how it had happened. It frightened her, not being able to figure out what was going on because this was the Doctor, she usually knew exactly what he was thinking or feeling just from the way that he held himself, but this…the way he was looking at her, as if his Universe was crumbling down around him, she didn't know what to make of it when it didn't fit into context with what was going on between them right now.

Suddenly, the Doctor took her hands, gripping them gently as he absently ran his thumbs along the top of her knuckles, "I've always wanted to tell you," he said softly, "But…I'm a coward, I couldn't stand the idea that you might not feel the same way about me and so, I kept it to myself".

"Doctor, you're starting to scare me," she tried desperately to give him a weak smile, "Just tell me whatever it is, it surely can't be that terrible".

He returned her smile faintly, taking a deep breath, "Hatter…I love you".

The Hatter's mouth slipped open, positively gaping at him in stunned disbelief. If it had been any other time, the Doctor might have found it amusing and teased her for it, but given the fact that he was currently struggling to stay still and resist against the urge to start blabbing away in his nervousness, he decided to remain silent and wait for her to process what he had just said, his hearts hammering inside his chest so hard that it was actually physically painful and a lump had formed in his throat.

"You…" she stopped suddenly, jumping onto her feet, grabbing at her hair as she looked away from him. She barely even seemed to be aware of what she was doing, tugging at the end of her bright red hair to the point that the Doctor began to worry that she might end up causing herself harm, but then she blinked and inhaled a shaky breath, looking back down to him, "You must be joking," she said in a shaky voice, "You _have_ to be".

"Why?" he asked instantly, rising from the bench, reaching out towards her, but she flinched away and he stopped, his hand left still in the air between them.

She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, "Because…we're best friends…"

He laughed suddenly and her eyes snapped open, startled, "We've never _just_ been that, not to me," he said with a soft smile, and this time, when he reached for her again, she didn't try to pull away, not even when he entwined his fingers with hers, "Hatter," he meet her eyes firmly, "I love you".

"You're actually mean it, don't you?"

"Yes".

She took a sharp breath and tightened her hold on his hand, looking back up to his face with a slightly nervous expression crossing her face, looking hesitate before, much to his shock, she moved closer to him, her eyes closing as she leaned forward and lightly pressed her bright red lips against his. It was a simple, light kiss but it spoke volumes to the Doctor and even though it barely lasted more than a second before she pulled back, her cheeks flushing bright red, it meant more to him then he could have possibly have put into words.

"I…" he cleared his throat, amazed that he could be so affected by a mere peak, "I take it you're not cross with me?"

She laughed and shook her head, "No, not at all," she said quietly, "Stunned, yes, still in a semi-state of disbelief and a little overwhelmed, perhaps, but cross?" her broke into a grin, "Never".

He grinned, unable to believe what had just happened between them, pulling her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her again with far more passion then the first kiss had held. The kiss, sadly, was interrupted by the sound of someone wolf-whistling and clapping, and the Time Lords broke apart, blushing bright red as they found Amy and Rory standing in the doorway of the wedding reception, Amy smirking at them with a wicked glimmer in her eyes and Rory smiling faintly, his arm wrapped around his new wife's waist.

"Well, this part of the garden seems to be taken, Rory," Amy commented, looking far to amused as the Hatter's face matched her hair and the Doctor struggled not to glare at the newlyweds for ruining the moment. She ignored their embarrassment and annoyance, glancing back to Rory, "Looks like we'll have to get our own shrub to snog in…"

"Amy!" Rory, the Hatter, and the Doctor all exclaimed in unison.

"Do you mind?" the Doctor went on with a pointed glanced towards the Hatter, who completely missed it as she seemed to be trying to hide her burning face by looking down at her purple heels.

Amy smiled, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she told them with a mock warning look, pointing a finger at them before she turned, heading back into the reception room.

Rory shifted a little embarrassedly, "Congratulations," he muttered, giving them a little smile, "About time…"

"Rory!"

Rory quickly turned to hurry back inside the reception after his wife, leaving the Time Lords looking terribly red and shifting awkwardly, neither of them quite meeting each other's eyes.

"So…" the Doctor trailed off, clearing his throat as he risked a glance at the Hatter.

"Yeah…" the Hatter looked up to him, smiling weakly.

He held out his hand, raising his eyebrows, "Do you want to dance?"

She gave him a slightly surprised look before grinning, accepting his hand with a relieved laugh, "I'd love to, Doctor".

He turned and began to lead the way back into the reception room, his hearts lightening again and some of the nervousness fading away. It didn't matter to him that she hadn't said the words back to him, personally, he had always felt that actions spoke louder than words, he didn't need her to say it aloud. He didn't know exactly what this all meant for them, not yet, but he knew that as long as he got to spend the rest of the evening dancing with the Hatter, he'd be beyond happy.

 _ **This chapter turned out completely differently from how I originally planned to write it, originally Amy would have had a bigger role, Rory wasn't in it, and River possibly would have had an appearance. But while I was writing this, like usual, the plan changed and I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out. I hope it doesn't feel like it all happened a little too quickly, I kind of figured that if I'd been writing it during the actual episode, then it would have been shortened quite a bit. Funnily enough, this was actually how I originally planned for the Doctor and the Hatter to end up together during the main story, but I ended up changing my mind as I was writing season three when I realised that it really was quite absurd that it would have taken them until Amy and Rory's wedding to admit their feelings for each other when there was such a massive gap between then and season three. I couldn't imagine that it would take that long for the Doctor not finally pluck up the courage or for the Hatter to realise his feelings for her, even she isn't that oblivious.**_

 _ **I tried to change things from how it happened within the main story, in which the Hatter wasn't with the Doctor when he wiped himself out of existence and River Song is in love with him but dislikes the Hatter. In this Universe, I see Amy and Rory's relationship with River being the same as it was, but with things very strained between River, the Hatter, and the Doctor. It was actually quite fun to tweaks things a little bit from how it was in the main story. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Aww, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it; it really was fun thinking of how I could twist the previous chapter slightly. Originally, it was going to follow the same plot as the start of the actual series went with Nine finding the Hatter in the park like Ten did, but I decided against it and I really loved writing how it might have been different. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I'm glad you liked the chapter, and originally I did plan for the Hatter and Rose to have more of their relationship shown, but I ended up scrapping that idea while I was writing because the chapter was from the Doctor's point of view. In fact, I think the whole chapter was completely from his view point, rather than shifting between him and the Hatter. Plus, it was about him and the Hatter, I wasn't even sure if Rose would have any part to play in the chapter at first. But your review really helped me with this chapter, hence why I decided to write quite a bit about River's alternative relationship with the Time Lords, even though she didn't end up showing up in the chapter, so thank you for giving me that suggestion :)**_


	3. Chapter 3 The Twelfth Doctor

_**The Twelfth Doctor**_

The Hatter took a deep breath and slowly released it, her eyes firmly closed as she stood just outside of sight of the console door, a wooden tray held between her hands with an assortment of tea things covering it. She hated that she felt this way, like she was a mere stranger inside the TARDIS that she had once known almost as well as she had known its owner, but worse than that, she felt as if she barely even knew the Doctor any more. So much time had passed since she had last been on board this ship, been around the Doctor, that she now barely knew how she was supposed to act. She so desperately wanted to relax and smile like she used to be able to, to tease him and share a laugh with him, but there was a tension in the air now that made it impossible for her to forget that while time for her might have stopped moving while she spent the past ten years as a human, for the Doctor time had kept ticking, centuries upon centuries of time that had passed between them.

It might as well have been an eternity.

She knew that she wasn't the only one having a hard time dealing with trying to adjust with the changes that had happened between them, she could see it written across the Doctor's face that he didn't quite know what to do, either. He had tried to make her feel comfortable, but there was a distance between them now that had nothing to do with the fact that she was still trying to get used to his latest, grey haired , Scottish regeneration, but everything to do with the time that had passed between them. He had been through so much since she had last seen him on the eve of the last day of Gallifrey, or rather what they had thought to be the last day. He had been through so much since then and while she wasn't so naive as to think that their friendship would instantly be like it had been all those centuries ago, it was still difficult for her to get used to this distance between them. The Doctor might have moved on, but she had been stuck inside a fob watch for over ten years, she hadn't had the chance to move forward like he had, hadn't had the chance to fully adjust to everything.

She inhaled again, slowly, forcing herself to try and calm her pounding hearts. She felt ridiculous to feel so nervous about approaching the Doctor, but he felt like a stranger to her still and she so very dearly wanted to make sure that everything went well between them because she couldn't keep living like this. She needed to find a way to try and bridge the gap between them, but was that even possible? So much time had passed between them, the Doctor had lived lifetimes more then she had and she knew that she hardly knew anything about those years of adventures that she had missed out on, it made her fear that just too much had been missed, that they had simply outgrown one another. She would never have thought that was even possible before now, but it was a horrible thought that continued to haunt her whenever she found herself alone, tucked away inside her old bedroom, to afraid to linger around the Doctor for fear of overstepping. How had they're relationship even gotten to this point? Never before had she felt awkward or uncomfortable around him, but now…it felt like that was all she ever felt like about this stranger who called himself the Doctor.

"Get a grip, Hatter," she whispered to herself, gritting her teeth together in annoyance, clutching the edge of the tea tray tighter, "It's the Doctor, no matter how many centuries might have passed between you; nothing could ever change him that much. He's not going to bite, honestly…"

She shook her head at her own childishness and opened her eyes, setting her resolve firmly that she could do this, that it was the Doctor and that no matter what might have happened, nothing could have changed so much between them that she couldn't share a simple cup of tea with him and hopefully have a nice little chat. She lifted her head higher and fixed a small smile onto her lips, and strolled forward, stepping up the small set of stars and into the open console room. She still remembered how surprised she had been when she had first seen the new console design, half of the console residing on an upper level that over looked the controls in the middle of the room, book cases lining the walls of the upper levels, while piles of books had been stacked on top of each other on the stairs leading up to the upper level. The lighting was quite dim, but she could still easily see the Doctor sitting in his old armchair on the upper level, flipping ideally through an old, leather bound book in his long, aged fingers.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," she called cheerfully, moving around the console and over to the bottom of the stairs, looking up to him.

The Doctor's head snapped up to look through the metal banister to her, seeming mildly surprised to see her, "No, no," he shook his head slowly, eyeing her curiously as he snapped the book shut, sitting it aside on a pile beside his chair, "Nothing important…"

"Brilliant," she flashed him a smile, very pleased that he couldn't hear how loud her hearts were beating right now. It certainly would give away her attempt to seem completely causal, "I made us some tea," she continued, stepping up the stairs, careful not to accidently trip on the edge of her scarf as she went, "But I wasn't sure how you took it now, so I grabbed a bit of everything".

"You didn't have to do that," he said, still watching her closely as she reached the landing and carefully place the tea tray on a stack of books.

She shrugged absently, grabbing the tea pot and pouring a stream of hot, amber liquid into one of the little white and blue patterned cups, "Oh, but I wanted to," she replied, moving on to the next cup, "Besides, it'll give us a chance to talk".

He was still watching her and she desperately wished that she could read him as well as she used to be able to do, but now she struggled to even get a sense of just how he was feeling, let alone what he might be thinking. His face was emotionless, pale blue eyes staring at her far too intently for her comfort, "Talking," he repeated slowly, watching as she picked up the small milk jug, "About what?"

"Oh, everything and anything," she said in an attempt to sound flippant, "Do you still take milk?" he nodded wordlessly, still watching her, and she broke into a slightly nervous smile as she began pouring a little splash of milk into his cup, "Some things never change, do they?"

"Some".

She passed him the cup before turning her attention back onto her own, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the tray as she forced herself not to show any outward signs of just how nervous she actually felt right now, still sensing his eyes on her. She didn't think he meant it to be unsettling or intentionally uncomfortable, but she did have to bite back the urge to tell him to stop looking at her like that. She knew that she was probably just feeling so sensitive to it due to being so nervous around him, but that didn't help her relax. She finished with her cup and straightened, moving to lean her back against the metal banister with her teacup in her hand, crossing her left ankle behind her right one.

"So…" she began, trailing off as she finally met his eyes again. She gave an awkward laugh, feeling her cheeks warming slightly as he lifted a bushy grey eyebrow, "Isn't it funny, how when you want to talk to someone but when it actually comes to it, you can't think of a word to say?"

"You've been spending too much time around Clara," the Doctor remarked, taking a sip from his cup.

"Well…I like Clara, she's a lovely girl. Her story is quite an incredible one, too".

"Impossible, more like".

The Hatter smiled faintly, seeing a hint of fondness in his expression, "Impossible," she repeated, nodding, "Brilliant word for her".

He took another sip of his tea, watching her from over the rim of his cup as he lowered it from his lips. She forced herself not to look away, meeting his gaze steadily. Why was it that she was able to stand up to her own people and the Daleks, and yet when it came to the Doctor, she had to force herself to even meet his eyes? Of course, she knew the answer to that already: shame. She was ashamed of her actions during those final moments together on Gallifrey, ashamed that she refused to leave with him when he begged and pleaded with her to. She had left him when he needed her most and that, forever, would always be her greatest shame.

"Hatter," the Doctor said after a long stretch of silence, his expression carefully blank again of any emotions, "You didn't make tea just to talk about Clara".

She swallowed, but refused to look away. Why did he have to make her feel so horribly awkward? She was centuries old, had witnessed some of the most terrible tragedies of life and come face to face with some of the most vile creatures of the Universe and won, but in this moment, staring into the Doctor's eyes right now, she felt more like a child. He was her best friend and, arguably, the only person in the entire Universe who could make her feel like this, not even her parents had that sort of power over her, but he did. She couldn't say she really liked having to admit that, even within her own head, but it was the truth.

"No, you're quite right," she agreed quietly. She gripped the teacup in her hands so firmly that she very nearly sent tea splashing over the rim and onto her hands, so she forced herself to relax her grip and moved to sit the cup safely down on the tray, not wishing she end up having a puddle of tea to have to clean up. She fell back against the banister as she turned back to face him, toying absently with her scarf, "Doctor…" she began, forcing her voice to remain calm and level, trying hard to remain as emotionlessly as the Doctor, "Are you…angry with me?"

The Doctor blinked, looking slightly surprised before his expression cleared again, "Why would you ask that?"

She frowned at him, wishing, once again, that she knew what he was thinking right now, but he was impossible to read. She hated it, there was once a time when one glance could tell her almost everything that she needed to know about what he was thinking or feeling in a moment, but not anymore. It was just another reminder of how much time had truly passed between them.

"Maybe because we've barely had one proper conversation with one another since you woke me up from my fob watch. Or perhaps it's because of the tension that seems to constantly surround us? Take your pick, I've got plenty more".

He narrowed his eyes and sat forward, sitting his tea cup on the tray, not looking away from her, "And what about you?" he said coolly, "You've been avoiding me ever since you opened that watch…"

"Why wouldn't I when I feel like my mere presences annoys you?" she struggled to stop herself from shouting, from throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. Everything that she had been feeling, all the fear, doubts, and insecurity seemed to be bubbling up inside her and spilling over. She had never felt like this before, it was so alien to her, but that only made her feel even more afraid and anxious. The Doctor was her best friend, had been since she was a girl, what was she without his friendship?

He scoffed, placing his hands on the armrest of his chair, "That's this regeneration, it's irritated by everything".

She crossed her eyes across her chest, not in any way comforted or reassured, "That's your excuse?"

"Why are _you_ angry with _me_?" he snapped suddenly, bracing himself on the armrests of the chair as he climbed onto his feet, glaring at her. He was slightly shorter then her, but the height advantage didn't help to make her feel more confident when he was glaring at her like that, "You have no right!" he took a step forward, bringing them mere inches from each other as he lowered his voice to a hiss, "No right, after what you did".

The Hatter's eyes widened slightly, both breathing heavily as they glared back at one another. The Doctor seemed to suddenly realise just how close they were, the Time Lady trapped firmly against the banister and himself, and turned away from her with a angry huff, storming down the stairs and over to the controls, coming to stand with his back to her as he gripped the edge of the console. Slowly, the Hatter took a shuddering breath and pushed herself off the banister, her lower back arching slightly from having been unknowingly pressing herself back into the hard metal. She moved to stand at the top of the steps, anger and frustration replaced with something even worse: resigned acceptance. Her worst fear had just been confirmed.

"So it's true, then," she slowly stepped down the steps, gripping the railing, "You _are_ angry with me…"

"Of course I am!" the Doctor whirled back around to face her, making her actually stumble as she stepped down from the last step. He was standing in front of her almost at once and automatically, reached out to help steady her before just as quickly dropping his arm. He took half a step back from her and turned away, running his hands through his greying hair in frustration, "I _begged_ you to come with me," he turned back to her, "I pleaded with you and you refused, Hatter!"

She cringed and nodded, feeling a wave of shame wash over her, "I remember," she said quietly, recalling vividly just how desperately he had pleaded with her to leave with him when he used the Moment, but she had still refused to go with him. It was one of her biggest regrets, but she couldn't go back and change it, though she wished she could, and now she had to face the price, which was possibly the loss of her friendship with the Doctor.

"You meant _everything_ to me, I would have given up the entire Universe just to see you smile…" her head snapped up at that, her eyes widening in shock, but he was too upset to notice, "You have no idea what it did to me to have to leave you that night, but I did it…because you practically begged me to and I never could deny you anything, could I? And then, after all of those centuries of thinking that you were gone, it turns out you'd hidden yourself away inside a fob watch!"

"You're completely justified in your anger," the Hatter took a deep breath, forcing her voice to remain calm and steady, even though she felt anything but right now. She wished she could reach out and touch his arm, but she didn't think he would accept the gesture, so instead she kept her hand tangled in her scarf, "What I did to you…it's unforgivable," she swallowed thickly, feeling the urge to cry, but she didn't have the right to cry after everything she had put him through, "I should have gone with you and I'm not going to try and excuse my actions because that would be insulting to you to even try. I was only thinking of myself in the moment and not thinking about what you would go through".

The Doctor seemed to close down again, his expression clearing of all emotion as he stepped back until he hit the console, folding his arms across his chest, "Something obviously changed your mind," he commented, his voice cool, "You decided to place yourself inside a pocket watch and become human".

"You had barely left my room when I realised what a terrible mistake I had made," she explained, "But it was too late to try and contact you. I couldn't be certain that the Time Lords wouldn't find out and I didn't dare risk trying to tell you some other way, so I did the only thing I could think of. It didn't exactly go to plan, I ended up getting myself killed on the way to my old TARDIS and forced to regenerate, I had hoped that you might be able to find me with my old face, but…well, with that gone, I just had to hope that perhaps the Universe would step in".

"You're the smartest and one of the most resourceful people I know," the Doctor replied, his tone still cool and his expression carefully clear of any emotion, "Surely you could have come up with something".

"And risk our entire plan being destroyed?" she shook her head quickly, frowning deeply at him, "I couldn't risk it, not when so much was at stake and nor would you have, in my shoes," the Doctor didn't answer, but his silence was enough to confirm that she was right, he wouldn't have risked leaving a note or trying some means of contacting her if their roles had been reversed, "I never meant to hurt you," she told him, taking a small step towards him, meeting his eyes firmly, "You need to know that, even if you might never forgive me, you need to know that I would _never_ have intentionally hurt you. You were my best friend, the only person I trusted completely and totally in this whole Universe, I would never have hurt you on purpose".

"But you did".

She cringed and looked away, feeling her hearts breaking at the complete and utter lack of emotion in his voice just saying those words. He had spent centuries living with this betrayal and hurt that she had caused, centuries in which he had perhaps grown completely indifferent…and yet, he hadn't, not yet. He wouldn't have been so angry with her before if he was completely indifferent, you didn't feel angry unless you still cared, but what did that even mean for them? Was it even possible to come back from something like this? She didn't know and she didn't dare hope, but she wasn't an eternal optimist for nothing. Time Lords lived for so very long, perhaps, one day, they might be able to rebuild some form of friendship, but she didn't see that happening for a very, very long time…if ever.

"Yes, I did," she forced herself to look back up to his face, "If I could do anything to fix this, I would, but I understand that it's probably not possible," she took a deep, steadying breath and focused her eyes instead on the Time Rotor over his shoulder, blinking back tears, "Just…give me ten minutes to pack".

The Doctor actually blinked, looking quite startled as he unfolded his arms, staring at her in puzzlement and confusion, "What are you talking about?" he frowned at her, making her look back to him, "Pack? Where are you going?"

"Doctor…" she swallowed against the painful lump in her throat, just wanting to go back to her room now so that she didn't have to break down in tears in front of him. She already felt horribly weak and vulnerable as it was, she didn't need to add tears and the awkwardness of all of that right now. Besides, she hated crying in front of people and she really didn't want the Doctor to see her like this, not when they were in such a bad place within their relationship, "I think we can both agree that this whole thing is a complete mess," she sighed, looking down at her purple Converse's, "I think it would be best if I go, you don't need me hanging around when it's quite clear how you feel about me…"

His frown deepened and he took a step closer to her, "You can't just…leave".

It was her time to frown now, giving him an almost offended look, "Of course I can, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, even if I might look like an emotional wreck right now".

"That's not what I…"

"It's for the best," she cut across him, trying hard to make herself seem calm and collected, even flippant, but she knew that her watery eyes and slightly chocked voice gave her away. She turned to try and leave the console room, heading for the stairs leading down the hallway, just wanting to escape before she truly lost it or they ended up getting into another fight, but the Doctor's hand stopped her. She froze mid-step, quite shocked as she slowly looked down at the hand on her right hip before following his arm up to his face.

The Doctor looked rather surprised himself and he quickly dropped his hand, clearing his throat as he quickly tried to pretend as though nothing had happened, despite the faint blush creeping up his neck, "You don't have to leave," he told her, "We…we have our issues, that's obvious, but how are we ever going to resolve any of this unless we work together?"

She turned back towards him, her eyes wide, "Is that what you want?" she asked, struggling to stop the hope she felt from seeping into her voice, "Is it even _possible_?"

"Hatter," he met her eyes firmly, "We were friends for centuries, don't you think we owe it to ourselves to try? It might not be possible, perhaps we're fools for even trying, but…even after all of these centuries…" he hesitated and, very slightly, a gentle smile crossed his face, "You are and will always be my best friend, it's that simple. We just have to learn how to be best friends again".

The Hatter laughed, unable to help it, staring at him in amazement, "It's that simple, is it?" she giggled, slightly breathless, unable to stop. Her emotions truly were all over the place, she felt like a wreck and would be quite happy to even have a little five minute nap, just to recharge, "We've got to learn how to be best friends again, never mind the anger and betrayal".

The Doctor, however, was still smiling softly, "I won't deny that I still haven't forgiven you," he remarked, instantly sobering her, "And there's a large chance I possibly won't…"

"Which I completely understand," she interrupted quickly.

"…but do you think I care so little about you, even after all of these centuries, that even betraying our friendship like that would make a difference?"

The Hatter opened and closed her mouth, shocked speechless, which truly was an amazing feat in itself, "I…I…" she gave herself a sharp shake, unable to believe that even after everything that she had done, he was still willing to try and be friends.

He shifted slightly awkwardly, "Now, don't go getting all big green eyes and fish-like," he pointed a finger at her, quickly making her close her mouth, realising that she probably did look like a goldfish right now. He sighed, shaking his head in mock exasperation, "You really have been spending too much time with Clara, have you seen her eyes? It's like she inflates them!"

She gave a chocked laugh before suddenly throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing her eyes shut as she hugged him tightly, while the Doctor remained very still for a moment, his hands awkwardly held up on either side of her body.

"Oh, you know how I feel about the hugging!" he moaned, ruffling her hair.

She grinned, only holding him tighter, "Shut up and hug me, old man," she whispered fondly.

Slowly, his arms encircled her and she felt him relax into the hug, breathing out a long, slow breath as he turned his head slightly into her neck. Neither of them could be sure whether or not it was possible to be friends like they once was, the Hatter wasn't sure if you could do what she had done and go back to what they used to be, perhaps too much had simply happened between them…or maybe they would grow stronger in their friendship for it. That was yet to be seen, but for now, the Hatter was just happy to have a flicker of the old Doctor back.

 _ **Finished! Finally. It was actually quite weird to write the Hatter being in such an emotional and vulnerable state like this with the Doctor, while the Doctor is so angry with her. So, in this version, it's just a friendship…with a hint of maybe something more, because it's the Doctor and the Hatter and there is always a little extra there between them. The Hatter knows that the Doctor was in love with her for centuries, but right now, it's their friendship that matters, the rest is just detail. Also, rather than five years as a human, we've got ten, which would put the Hatter physically in her early thirties with much more of a human emotional state then perhaps a Time Lady.**_

 _ **Now, these two would still have a long way to go, if I was to write a story from this chapter onwards, they would focus a lot of rebuilding trust and getting to know each other again. I imagine a lot of possible fights and tension, but after all of those centuries of friendship, I can't see the Doctor just throwing it away, he did forgive Clara when she tried to hold him hostage and actually thought she destroyed the TARDIS key in lava, perhaps not quite as extreme as what happened here, but I think he would have a similar view point.**_

 _ **I hope you liked the mini story; I actually had quite a bit of fun coming up with little tweaks that changed from the original story. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest review:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **Wow, can I just say that you're review actually amazed me, I think you might have managed to understand the Hatter even more than me. I was very impressed. I can so see these two being all awkward with each other and trying to flirt, like I can see the Ninth Hatter, who was always so easily embarrassed with compliments, accidently smacking herself in the face with the end of her scarf trying to act all coy with the Doctor, while he would probably slip over trying to be smooth and end up dragging her down with him…or is that just the Eleventh Doctor in general? I can so see him doing that with any Hatter, really. Either way, the Ninth Hatter's blushes and shy attempts at flirting, mixed with the Eleventh Doctor's clumsiness and possibly over excited attempts at flirting, it certainly would be interesting and funny. Amy and Rory would be mortified to have to witness it, but they certainly would be entertained.**_

 _ **I kind of feel like the Ninth Hatter would need to take a little while to figure out exactly how she felt, like you said, she's still trying to adjust to being a Time Lady and the Time War being over, she knows that she has feelings for the Doctor, but I'm not sure if she's completely certain that it's love and I can't see the Hatter telling someone that she loved them unless she meant it completely, hence why she didn't say it back. The Doctor, on the other hand, I kind of feel like Eleven would be a little bit more sure and aware, which is why I think he would wait for her to figure everything out, even though he's already pretty certain that she does love him. He wouldn't want to pressure or overwhelm her, so he's just going to enjoy whatever comes and date her…properly, not like how Ten and Nine seemed to go from dating to engaged super fast because of The-Year-That-Never-Was.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for the huge review, I know I probably missed replying to some of the points you made and if so, I apologise. I tried to cover as much as I could and I'm so happy that you enjoyed the previous chapters, hopefully this one was okay. I'm not completely happy with how I've written Twelve, I still feel completely off writing him because I've never written him before, so hopefully there's a little bit of resemblance to his character there.**_


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